Govan’s LACMA will rock you…this November

Michael Govan has been called a visionary, an advocate for artists and is credited with transforming the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). LA County supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky says Govan is to LACMA what Dudamel is to the Philharmonic. He has boosted attendance by 40%, expanded the museum’s collection and completed two new exhibition halls. But to Govan, it’s not just about art hanging on a wall. He considers LACMA to be “multidisciplinary” and “multicultural” and capable of “encompass[ing] almost everything cultural. He is building bridges and has recruited dozens of new trustees including some of Hollywood’s biggest heavy weights. He has started a new weekly film series with Film Independent and is currently featuring an exhibition by Tim Burton (next year there are plans for a Stanley Kubrick exhibition). LACMA is helping to restore the Watts Towers and is working with the J. Paul Getty Trust to acquire the estate of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. What’s next? There is a whole lot of noise about “The Rock”, but you’ll have to listen to Patt to hear more about Govan’s rock art.